When shopping around for a reggae guitar amp the factors you are most likely going to consider are:

Tube amp vs. Solid state

Wattage Output

New or Used

Good Clean Channel

Budget $$$

Roland JC-120

nEW : $1,200 uSED: $400- $800

This amp is a favorite among reggae guitar players because of the cyrstal clear response you can hear while using the clean channel. It was used by reggae jazz guitarist Ernest Ranglin and Junior Marvin when he played with Bob Marley & the Wailers.

It’s a solid state, combo amp, and features two 60 watt speakers which sounds good in live music venues in addition to a recording studio.

The main disadvantage of this amp is the weak distortion channel, so if you are going to play some reggae rock solos you will definitely need some effect pedals. On the other hand, this amp is very versatile becuase it can also be used for acoustic guitar, keyboards, and even vocals.

Fender Twin Reverb

New: $1,450 Used: $900+

This is the guitar amp that was used by Bob Marley along with his lead guitarist in the Wailers, Al Anderson.

The main appeal of this guitar amp is the classic, vintage sound you get when the tube’s are warmed up. Also by using the vibrato channel you can get a natural distortion & reverb effect from the amp that will sound much better than any guitar pedals you will find.

This amp is 85 watts and is suitable for any live music setting. If you need something smaller check out the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe which is a 40 watt combo amp for half the price.

Vox AC30

New: $1,000 Used: $600-800

The Vox amps were made popular by the British rock bands like the Beatles, The Kinks, and Queen. In addition to the authentic vintage sounding rock n’ roll tone, it also sounds great when playing reggae. It features 30 watts of tube power and two celestion “blue” speakers.

The older, original AC30 amps where known to have wiring problems which have since been fixed with the reissues. There are several variations of this amp available including the valve reactor, custom, and handwired. This is a high quality, boutique amp which has a awesome sounding clean and dirty tones.

Peavey Classic 30

NEw: $650 Used: $300-450

This a solid sounding tube amp for the price. It features a good sounding clean channel for reggae rhythm guitar, and warm crunchy tones for lead playing in the drive channel. The amp features 30 watts of sound with a built in reverb effect. Good for live music in bars and small clubs. I personally own one of these amps and can vouch for them. Also check out a Peavey Classic 50 if you need more sound.

Bio

John Frusciante is best known as the former lead guitar player for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. His minimalist style is distinctive, and his playing is instantly recognizable.

This is a rare clip of him playing reggae guitar with some band members from the Mars Volta. Frusciante is currently not playing with the Chili Peppers, and has been focused on producing other artists.

An authentic reggae guitar tone is achieved by using the correct right hand guitar technique and least 95% of your tone is coming directly from your fingers. Although, if you want to sound like a guitar legend, these are the four guitars most commonly used for playing reggae music.

Stratocaster

The stratocaster is a great guitar for playing reggae because it’s lightweight, the neck is a comfortable shape for lead and rhythm playing, and you can get a variety of tones with the pickups in the neck and mid-neck positions. Some famous reggae guitarist’s who played a stratocaster include Eric Clapton, and the lead guitarist for Bob Marley, Al Anderson.

Telecaster

The Fender Telecaster is more lightweight than the Stratocaster which lends itself to having a thinner sound and is good for doubling the bass line in reggae using the palm muting guitar technique .In addition, the Telecaster is great for playing the reggae rhythm guitar because of the bright tone in the neck pickup position.Two famous guitar legends who used a telecaster are Jimmy Page and Keith Richards.

Les Paul

The Gibson Les Paul is best known for its humbucker P90 pickups which gives it a fat sound and crunchy blues lead guitar tone. The neck has a wider shape, and it is a heavier guitar to shoulder than the Strat or the Telecaster. Bob Marley played a Les Paul while he was in the Wailers and Eric Rachmany plays one now with the reggae band Rebelution.

PRS

The PRS guitar is a like combination of a Strat and a Les Paul. It has a thin neck like the Strat, which makes it easier to play but it also has humbucker pick ups like a Les Paul for a crunchy lead guitar tone. PRS guitars are very versatile and can be used for playing Rock, Reggae, Jazz, Blues, and most styles of music. A guitar legend who plays a PRS is Carlos Santana.